Kenya's mobile market has continued to grow steadily, supported by a mobile subscriber base of about 40 million by early 2016. Some market consolidation occurred following the acquisition by Airtel and Safaricom of Essar Telecom's yuMobile business. While all operators have invested in mobile technologies and infrastructure upgrades to support mobile data services, competition has nevertheless presented challenges to the profitability of network operators, with uneven revenue growth reported in recent years. Orange Group is the principal casualty and is in the process of exiting the market, having sold its entire 70% holding in Telkom Kenya to Helios. By contrast, Safaricom, controlling two-thirds of the subscriber market, has seen very strong growth on the back of its popular M-PESA payment platform. Competitive pressure has also encouraged players to streamline operations, reduce workforces and sell off their tower portfolios.

To encourage the development of LTE services the government has pursued an open-access approach. A number of MVNO licences awarded since 2014 have added to the competitive mix, with Equitel establishing a market share of about 3% by the end of 2015.